The CPAP generators produced by whr Hossinger Kunststofftechnik and used to provide newborns with a reliable air supply must be sealed as tightly as possible, and the components must be extremely precise. Since the family-run company – located in northern Bavaria (Germany) – introduced the latest generation of the ZEISS O-INSPECT multisensor measuring machine, it has increased the precision of its in-house measurements and also shortened its measuring times.

The Challenge: precise components for an airtight overall system

The principle of the CPAP generator: oxygen-enriched air is delivered to the baby via a tube and is administered with slight overpressure. whr Hossinger combines the individual components of the CPAP generator using a connector system instead of an adhesive. Yet a generator is only airtight if the individual components have been manufactured with absolute precision. The challenge: wall thicknesses of only three tenths of a millimeter, tolerances of a few hundredths of a millimeter, freeform components with a complex shape and different product colors made quality inspection difficult, protracted and sometimes costly with the optical measuring machine this mid-sized company had available.

Tiny stylus tip diameters for filigree structures

Christian Bindl, Quality Management Supervisor

The solution: three measuring principles in one machine

To reduce the number of measurements outsourced to external service providers and nevertheless guarantee a high level of quality, the company introduced the ZEISS O-INSPECT multisensor measuring machine in 2014. It combines three measuring principles in one machine. However, the volume of the measuring machine was still too small for the large workpieces manufactured at whr Hossinger. Therefore, the company seized the opportunity to play its part as a pilot customer of ZEISS in bringing the latest generation of the multisensor measuring machines to market. One of its outstanding features is a larger measuring volume of 500 x 400 x 300 mm.

“Contact, optical, white light sensors: the way these three measuring methods interact is unbeatable because these make us highly efficient.”

Christian Bindl, Quality Management Supervisor

The benefit: precision doubled, measuring time reduced

The use of the multisensor measuring machine has paid off for whr Hossinger: "Contact, optical, white light sensor: the interaction of these three measuring methods is unbeatable because it offers us great efficiency," says impressed Quality Management Officer, Christian Bindl. Not only does the company outsource fewer measurements, but, with the ZEISS O-INSPECT, Bindl and his colleague can now also conduct an abundance of measuring tasks with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. Otherwise, they would require three different measuring machines. The Quality Manager says that "we have doubled the precision in comparison to our previous measuring machine. And our measurements would also be a lot more time-consuming without the white light sensor." According to Bindl, the ZEISS O-INSPECT has given the metrologists "room to breathe."

The optimal sensor for every measuring task

About whr Hossinger

Located in Roding (Germany), whr Hossinger Kunststofftechnik GmbH has 60 employees and develops, designs and manufactures technical plastics systems for the medical technology and the automotive industries, amongst others. The family-run company was founded in 1925 and today covers the entire process chain for plastic injection molding. This includes design and engineering, tool making, the manufacture of plastic parts as well as assembly and customer-specific packaging, delivery and logistics strategies. As an employer, whr Hossinger distinguishes itself through personalized work time models, e.g. there are no set shifts in the assembly area. This enables the company, located in the economically prosperous Cham district of Bavaria, to attract workers who would otherwise have a difficult time balancing work and family.